Valve-operating device for steam-generators.



V PATENTED 13166.22, 1903. 'J. E. BALDWIN. I VALVE OPERATING DEVICE FOR STEAM GENERATORS.

APPLICATION PI LBD JUNE 37,1903.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

INVENTOR UNITED STATES Patented December 22, 1903.

' PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES EDlVARD BALDWIN, OF EAST WILLISTON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO ABBOTQAUGUS'IUS LOW AND ALBERT AUGUSTUS DAY, OF BROOK- LYN, NEW YORK.

VALVE-OPERATING DEVICE FOR STEAM-GENERATORS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 747,843, dated December 22, 1903.

' Application filed June 27:, 1903.

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES EDWARD BALD- WIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Williston, inthe county of Nassau and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valve Operating Devices for Steam- Generators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as Will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one form in which I havecontemplated embodying my invention, said invention being fully disclosed in the following description and claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 represents a steam boiler with feed-water-supply system, showing myinvention appliedthereto. Fig. 2 represents the various parts of my valve-operating device detached. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of said device, showing the parts assembled. Fig.4 is a horizontal sectional 'view of the device. Fig. 5 is a view similar toFig. 3 of aslightly-modified form of the device.

.My invention consists,essentially,of a valveoperating device adapted to be connected with a steam-boiler or the water column connected therewith and, further contemplated, the combination of a plurality of such devices in a feed-water system for a steamboiler formai ntaining the'water-level therein, preventing the burning out of the boiler, and indicating the presence of high and low water, all as hereinafter fully set forth.

My improved valve-operating device A is illustrated in Figs. 2, 3, and 4 and is constructed, preferably, as follows:

01, represents the exterior shell or casing of the device, which is ordinarily of cylindrical form, closed at the rear end and provided with inlet and outlet apertures or o, and is open at the front end and provided interiorly adjacent to the front end with threads, as

shown at a Serial No. 163,343- (No model.)

or represents a hollow cylindrical block adapted to fit within the casing'a and provided with an interior steam-space a and a represents a metal diaphragm which is.

placed over the recess a in the block a and is preferably provided with a central reinforcing-washer a In'th'is instance I have shown connected with said diaphragm and washer a ball-valve al having a stem LL12, which is connected to the washer a a is a closing-plate which in this instance is threaded on its periphery and is screwed into the open end of the shell or casing a, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4., (being provided with suitable apertures to receive a wrench or spanner,) thereby clamping the parts together and forming a chamber between'the recess a of the block a and the metal diaphragm.

This recess is filled with a liquidand hermetically sealed. 1n the drawings ,1 have shown the block a provided with a tapped means the said chamber, which I will herein: after refer to as the expansion-chamber,

is filled with the liquid, which may be water or some more volatile liquid, as preferred, and the said chamber is sealed by means of a screw-plug a having an enlarged head to fit the aperture in the casing-a,beneath which head is placed a washer a a represents a valve-chamber which is screwed intoa central aperture in the closingplate 0, and is provided internally with a valve-seat 0t and externally with an inletaperture a and outlet-aperture 0. In this instance the valve 0., consisting, preferably, of a ball, is located within the valve-chamber 0, and its stem a passes through an aperture in the back wall of the valve-chamber.

It will be seen from an examination of Figs. 3 and 4 that the valve on is normally in open position and is moved againstthe valveseat 61 by the expansion of the fluid in the expansion-aha m her acting on the flexible diaphragm a". It will also be obvious that the device may be arranged so that the valve will be normally in closed position and will be opened by the expansion of the fluid in the expansionchamber. Such a device is shown at A in Fig. 5. This device is constructed exactly like the device A, previously described, except that a different form of valve-chamber is employed. In this construction the valvechamber a has an inlet a and outlet (1 and the valve-seat (1 arranged so that the valve (0 is moved away from the body of the ilevice to open, the stem a being slightly longer than the stem at.

In operation the device A is connected to a steam-generator by means of pipe a and its operation depends upon whether steam or water enters the steam-space a Supposing that the pipe a is connected to the boiler (or a water-column in communication therewith) at the level at which it is desired to keep the water in the boiler and supposing that the water has fallen below the level of the upper edge of the pipe a steam would enter the steam-space a and keep said space continually filled with steam at substantially the same temperature as the steam in the boiler, the condensation running back through pipe a The heat of the steam in the steam-space a will raise the fluid in the expansion-chamber to substantially the same temperature, thereby vaporizing it and creating pressure in said chamber which will deflect the diaphragm outward and move the valve in a direction to close it. If, however, the water in the boiler rises above the level of the top of the pipe c ,no more steam will pass into the steam-space,and as the steam therein condenses by reason of its loss of heat due to radiation the steamspace a will [ill with water. This water will be gradually cooled by radiation of its heat and will extract heat from the contents of the expansion-chamber, thus reducing the pressure therein and causing the diaphragm to retract and open the valve.

It will be noted that there is a space a in rear of the steam-chamber which is provided with outlets a a These outlets will permit a circulation of air through the space a to ran gementbeing particularly adapted for use in steam-propelled automobiles, although it is equally Well adapted for stationary boilers. In this figure,B represents the boiler,and O the water-column connected therewith. l represents what may be termed the normal water-line, indicating thelevel at which it is desired to hold the water-level in the boiler. P represents the feed-pump for feeding water to the boiler from the tank or reservoir, said pump drawing the waterfrom pipe T through check-valves n and forcing it through checkvalve n, pipes t t, and check-valve "0 into the boiler. A by-pass is provided from the pump back to the tank, (as the pump is operated continuously while an automobile is in motion,) so that when a sufficient amount of water has been pumped into the boiler, by opening a valve in the by-pass the water pumped will follow the line of least resistance and return to the tank through the by-pass instead of passing into the boiler against the steampressure therein. I advantageously employ my improved valve-operating device to operate this valve in the by-pass automatically when the water in the boiler reaches a given level. In this instance I have shown the device A connected to the boiler (in this instance to the watercolumn 0 thereof) at the normal water-level 1. The by-pass is formed by a pipe 25 connected with pipe t and extending to the inlet d of the valve-chamber of the device A, and a pipe 6 extending from the outlet 04 to the tank, the valve operated by the device A, as herein before described, controlling the bypass. It being understood that the pump P is running all the time the automobile is in operation, being driven from the engine or running-gear, if the water in the boiler is below the normal water-level l steam is admitted to the device A and, as previously described, will cause the closing of the valve, thus closing the by-pass and forcing the water pumped to enter the boiler through the check-valve 21 When the water in the boiler rises above the normal level 1, the water will enter the device A and on cooling cause the opening of the valve, thus opening the by-pass, when the water will pass from the pump back to the tank and will not enter the boiler.

As there is a considerable loss of water when an automobile remains standing for a considerable period, it is desirable to provide means for supplying water in such cases. To this end I arrange a steam-pump S, adapted to be operated by steam from the boiler and connected with the tanlcpipe T by a pipe 3 and by a pipe 5 with the pipe t, leading to the boiler. At the desired level, which I will term the medium low-water level, (indicated at 2 on the drawings,) I attach the de- Vice A, the valve of which is normally closed and controls the admission of steam to the steam-pump S.

D represents a steam-pipe leading from the upper end of the boiler, having a branch d leading to the inlet (W of the valve-operating device A, and a pipe d leads from the outlet a to the steam-cylinder of the pump S. The valve, as shown in Fig. 5, remains closed so long as the device is filled with water from the boiler; but when the water-level falls below the desired level, so as to admit steam to the device A, the valve will be opened, admitting steam to the steam-pump, the valve being closed when the water rises in the boiler above the level of the pipe'connecting the device A therewith.

Dotted line 3 in the drawingsindicates the high-water level, and at thispoint I prefer to provide a second valve-operating device A, the valve-chamber of which is connected by a pipe (1 with steam-supply pipe D and is provided with an indicator, signal, or other device, (in this instancea whistle W'.) When the water reaches the level 3, it will enter the device A and on cooling will cause the valve to open and the whistle to sound.

4 represents the low-water level, and at this point I prefer to em ploy a second valve-operating device A, connected by a pipe (1 to the steam-pipe D and provided witha whistle W or other indicating or signaling device. The valve of this device A will be normally closed and will openand admit steam to the whistle in case the water falls below the level aand admits steam to the valveoperating device.

It is obvious that by employing whistles of difierent tones the operator will be advised whether high or low water is indicated.

It will be obvious that my improved valveoperating device can be used in other connections than those herein indicated tooperate a valve in the manner described, which valve may control the flow of fluid for any desired purpose.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Thecomhination with a steam-generator, of a feed-water pump connected therewith, a valve for controlling the admission of water to the generator from said pump, a valve-operating device comprising a steam and water chamber communicating with the generator adjacent to the normal water-chamher and an expansion-chamber adapted to receive heat from said steam and water chamber, operative connections between said expansion-chamber and said controlling-valve, an auxiliary steann pump connected with the generator, a steam-supply pipe connected to said steam-pump, a valve for controlling the supply of water from said steam auxiliary pump to the generator, a second valve-operating device comprising a steam or water chamber communicating with the generator in a different vertical plane from the connection of the first-mentioned valve-operating device, an expansion-chamber adapted to re-.

ceive heat from said second steam orwater chamber, and operative connections between said expansion-chamber and the valve controlling the water connection between said steam-p11 mp and the generator, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a steam-generator, of a feed-water pump connected thereto,

a valvecontrolling the supply of feed-water to the generator, an auxiliary steam-actuated pump connected with the generator, a steamsupply for said auxiliary pump, a valve controlling the supply of steam to said steampump, separate valve-controlling devices for said valves, each provided with an expansion device adapted to be operated when the water in the generator is at different levels, and operative connections from each of said expansion devices to one of said valves, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a steam-generator, of a feed-Water pump connected therewith, a water-supply therefor, a by-pass connected with the pump for discharging the water therefrom without delivering-it to the generator, a valve insaid by-pass, and a valveoperating device connected with the generator at the normal water-level, and provided with a steam and water space, in communiactuated pump connected withthe generator,

a steam-supply pipe therefrom extending to said pump, a normally closed valve in said steam-pipe, a second valvc-operating deviceconnected to the generator at a point below thenormal water-level, and provided with a steam and water space communicating. with the generator, and with an expansion-chamber having a part operatively connected with said steam-valve, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a steam-generator, of a feed-water pump connected therewith, a water-supply therefor, a-by-pass connected with the pump for discharging the water therefrom without delivering it to the generator, a valve in said by-pass, and a valve-- actuated pump connected with the generator,

a steam-supply pipe therefrom extending to said pump, a normally closed valve in said steam-pipe, a second valve-operating device connected to the generator at a point below the normal water-level, and provided with a steam and water space communicating with the generator, and with an expansion-chamber having a part operatively connected with said steam-valve, steamactuated high or low water indicating devices, connections from said devices to said steam-supply pipe for said steam-pu mp, independent valves controlling the steam-supply to said devices, and independent valve-operating devices connected to the generator at high and low Water levels, each provided With a steam and Water space and an expansion-chamber having a part operatively connected with one of said steain controlling valves, substantially as described.

5. A valve-operating device provided with a steam and water space, having a single aperture therein for connecting it to a steamgenerator, an expansion-chamber adjacentto but entirely outside of said steam and Water space, having a wall adapted to receive heat from said steam and water space, and a contignous flexible diaphragm forming a Wall of said chamber, a valve-chamber provided with a valve seat, a valve for engaging said seat and a movable part interposed between said diaphragm and said valve, substantially as described.

6. Avalve-operating device provided with a steam and Water space, having a single aperture therein for connection with a steamgenerator, an expansion-chamber adjacent to but entirely outside of said steam and Water space, one of the Walls of said chamber being a Wall of said space, said chamber having a flexible diaphragm directly contiguous to said common wall, a valve-chamberadjacent to said expansion-chamber, provided with a valve-seat, a valve for engaging said seat and a movable part interposed between said diaphragm and said valve, substantially as described.

7. A valveoperating device comprising amongits members aninclosingshellcreasing, a hollow block within said casing provided with an internal steam and Water space,adapted to be placed in communication with a steam-generator and having an external recess,a flexible diaphragm engaging said block and covering said recess to form a sealed expansion-chamber, a closing-plate secured to said shell and engaging said diaphragm, a valve-casing provided with a valve seat, a valve for engaging said seat, and operative connections between said valve and said diaphragm, substantially as described.

8. A valveoperating device comprising among its members, a cylindrical casing closed atone end, and open at the other and provided at its closed end with inlet and outlet apertures, a hollow block located Within said casing having an internal steam and water space adapted to be placed in communication with a steam-generator and provided on its rear face with a recessed portion to engage the closed end of said casing to form a coolingspace, and on its front face with a recessed portion, a flexible diaphragm engaging the front face of said blockand forming with the recessed portion thereof a sealed expansion-chamber,a closing-plate for the open end of said casing, engaging said diaphragm and clamping it against said block, means for securing said closing-plate to said casing, a valve-casing provided with a valve-seat, a valve for engaging said seat and operative connections between said dia phragm and said valve, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES EDWARD BALDWIN.

Witnesses:

W. M. HADDOOK, CLARENCE A. BROWN. 

